Movie Description
Destined to be a Christmas classic, Thomas Bezucha's dazzling dramedy, THE FAMILY STONE, manages to be both warmhearted and sentimental while possessing a razor-sharp hilarious mean streak. The fairly conventional story centers on Sarah Jessica Parker's uptight career woman, Meredith, and her run-in with the eponymous Stone family. With her permanently pursed lips and severe bun, SJP looks and acts the anti-Carrie Bradshaw here as, armed with cell phone and business-suit collection, she gears up to meet her fiance's oddball family, a tight-knit, colorful clan who border on bohemian. Matriarch Sybil (Diane Keaton) and patriarch Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) are a loving couple whose diverse children are affectionate and respectful. When Meredith's humorless aura infects the homestead, it is mom Sybil and sister Amy (Rachel McAdams), who sense a romantic mismatch and attack her venomously, sparking a tete-a-tete-a-tete between three feisty females. While this Battle Royal is waged, dramatic subplots brew in the background, one involving the deaf and gay brother Thad's desire to adopt a child, and the other a rather devastating secret on the verge of exposure. It is in the emergence of Meredith's refreshingly calm and breezy younger sister, Julie (Claire Danes), entering the film with a dramatic fall from a bus exit, that brings all conflict to a head.
| Credits | | Producer: | Michael London | | Cast: | Brian White, Claire Danes, Luke Wilson, Paul Schneider, Sarah Jessica Parker, Savannah Stehlin, Tyrone Giordano |
| Details | | Edition: | Full Frame |
Editorial Reviews
3 stars out of 5 -- "Keaton, a sorceress at blending humor and heartbreak, honors the film with a grace that makes it stick in the memory."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (12/15/2005)
"Parker has a great time being the anti-Carrie Bradshaw while Keaton-as-matriarch is a particular joy -- funny, beautiful, elegant, touching, and at ease..." -- Grade: B
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (02/01/2006)
"[S]tuffed with beguiling performances -- some of them unexpectedly good..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (12/16/2005)
"[I]ts offbeat mixture of highly choreographed comic crises and the occasional bite of reality make for an unexpectedly enticing blend."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (12/16/2005)
"[It is] refreshing to see a modern update on the nuclear family..."
Sight and Sound - Ali Jaafar (01/01/2006)
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